epsy 485 final exam

7/30/2019 EPSY 485 Final Exam

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Allison M. HawkinsEPSY 485 DeLaRueDecember 17, 2012

EPSY 485 Final Exam

Part One: Developing a Grading Plan

1) Grading Policy

A. The course for which I am creating the grading policy is a sixth gradeEnglish/Language Arts classroom in a small urban environment. There are eight(8) units that span the entire academic school year, each unit ranging from 3-6weeks in length. The shorter 3-week units involve the reading of short novels anda brief study of mythology in conjunction with origin myths from around the world.The longer units encompass the last unit on Literature Circles, which allows

students to select a particular novel and read and discuss in a group ofclassmates, and units on the genres of short story and poetry.

B. I will follow the golden rules of grading by implementing three basiccomponents: (a) Do not give students zeros for missing work (b) Do not simplyaverage all of the assignments throughout the course and give a grade, and (c)Do not assign an end-of-the-course assignment that will make or breakstudents grades. Assigning students a zero on any assignment does not serveas a reinforcer to get work done more efficiently. Indeed, it only isolatesstruggling students and prevents the teacher from really finding out why work isnot being completed. Secondly, teachers should be implementing various typesof formative (some graded, some not graded) and summative assessmentsthroughout the course so students can get feedback on non-graded assignmentsbefore they are actually tested on cumulative, summative exams or papers.Finally, the teacher must avoid assigning a major end of the course project as itleaves the success of too many students up to chance.

C. The main purpose of this grading policy is to allow students to viewassessment and grading not as a type of punishment, but as a medium throughwhich they can gain feedback on their work and make adjustments accordingly.Proper grading systems should be put in place to aid student learning and topromote positive behavior in the classroom. Indeed, teachers who have clear-cut,well-established and communicated grading policies often have better gradesoverall and better classroom management.

2). Grading Components

A. Types of assessment that would be incorporated into my grading procedureswould be daily classroom assignments based off of the lesson demonstrated.However, depending on the content of the lesson, especially if it is particularly


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difficult and will be reviewed several more times throughout the course of thesemester, certain assignments will be looked over, but not recorded for a grade.This policy also extends to homework because while some homeworkassignments will be graded, others will just be collected for credit and/orcollected so the teacher can gain a better understanding of achievement levels.

Other graded assessments would be essays/writing assignments, any type ofexam, and any type of summative unit project.I would not incorporate attendance or tardiness because rampant

tardiness and absence is often another issue altogether and should be jointlyaddressed by the teacher and administration. I would rather address theseissues on a more personal level with the student. However, because this is anEnglish/Language Arts class, I would hope to incorporate assessment onaffective factors like overall participation in class and attitude (being ready tolearn and engage). While I think they are important components for an Englishclassroom, I also think they are effective and EASY ways for students to boosttheir grade if they are struggling on more summative assessments. I would go

about incorporating these affective factors by assigning them a percentage in mycriterion-referenced grading (see below).Assessing students on some classroom and homework assignments is

important because it not only rewards students for accessing informationpresented in a lesson, but also offers a data-driven example of studentperformance for the instructor. This data can then inform if information needs tobe reviewed or if a particular topic is causing confusion for particular students.This data can also inform one-on-one help for students. Summative assessmentslike essays, projects, and unit tests are important to include in grading policies asthey are, once again, data driven evidence of the successes and difficulties ofparticular students and for the entire unit, in general. Examining theseassessments allows teachers to make instructional strategy changes.

B. Homework/In-Class Assignment (40%): I chose to leave the most weight

to this grade because it is based completely off class time. If students areactively utilizing class time, asking questions, and completingassignments, this grade should reflect that effort.

Unit Tests/Writing Assignments (20%): I chose to weight both types ofsummative assessment at 20% because together they equal the weight ofHomework/In-Class Assignments and, therefore, reflect the importance ofcumulative knowledge gained.

Unit Project (20%) (see above) Attitude (10%): As previously stated, I am including attitude and class

participation because they reward students who are actively positive andengaged with the classroom and material.

Class Participation (10%) (see above)


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3) Grading Approach (Assigning Course Grades)I would approach assigning overall course grades with a criterion-referencedapproach. This approach measures student performance against a previouslyestablished objective (i.e. criterion). I feel this is the most effective way to assigncourse grades because students are made aware of these percentages at the

beginning of the course and will adjust their work habits based on particularweights. For example, if a class project was 75% of the grade, students wouldknow to put more effort in this component, than homework. Also, I like havingstudents aware of how they are being assessed from the minute they walk intomy class. There should be no guessing or surprising when it comes todetermining final grades.

Part II: Motivation and Academic Performance

If this district were to implement a pay-for-performance system for students, Iwould be wholeheartedly concerned. To begin with, the district needs to consider

if they are simply desiring good grades or if they are desiring something muchdeeper perhaps a change in student habits, attitudes, instruction, etc. Insteadof offering a temporary solution to simply getting a good letter grade, districtsshould spend the money on offering instructional strategies on more effectivehabits of assignment completion, attendance, and study skills. The pay-for-performance initiative completely devalues the concept of intrinsic motivation, aswell. By only offering the extrinsic reward of money, students are bereft of theintrinsic sense of accomplishment and pride when getting a good grade orcompleting an assignment. These intrinsic motivators are often more powerfulthan monetary rewards.

While one benefit of monetary rewards could be quickly arousing slumpingstudents from his or her academic slumber, it only provides a temporary solutionto the problem. For example, once a child has improved significantly, will thedistrict continue to pay? Will a student get paid for every A and B? Or only As?

And, where is all of this money coming from?Indeed, this system sends a complicated message to students as it puts

them in the place of anticipating and expecting money for every task theycomplete, no matter how menial or complicated. It completely removes personalresponsibility and self-determinism from the academic equation. Alternatives tothis initiative would be to implement the aforementioned programs to promotebetter study skills and habits. Also, promoting career-readiness programs couldalso be helpful as it prepares students for specific jobs that need specific skillsand proficiencies. Therefore, there is a clear goal and purpose for the schoolingand students will see the value in this.


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Part III: Communicating Student Performance to Parents

Keeping in frequent contact with the parents/guardians of students isessential for a teachers success. While this communicating increasingly buildsupon the organizational and instructional skills of the teacher, it also builds trust

and rapport with parents and individualizes plans for student success.Regarding Margarets report card, she demonstrates clear strengths inscience as both the academic, as well as participation and effort componentsgarnered the highest grade (A-) on the report card. In math, Margaret activelycompleted daily problem sets, (many full credit given) and maintained relativelystable grades on tests to garner a valuable B+. However, Margaret seems to bestruggling in both English and Social Studies. The lack of completion for herEnglish journals coupled with low test scores and low participation/effort in bothsubject realms should allow for a more in-depth discussion. It is worth noting thatMargaret seems to be struggling more with the two subjects that require the mostreading comprehension and writing skill work. Indeed, while Margaret scored

Below Standards for the English portion of the ISAT exam, she earned a scoreof 4 (the highest) on her ISAT extended response, which involves composing awritten answer to a question. Therefore, this would indicate that Maggies readingcomprehension or decoding may be causing this lack in performance, while herwriting is clearly an asset and strength.

Similarly, Margarets science and math scores coordinated with her reportcard in that she was Exceeding Standards in Science and Meeting Standardsfor Math. One discrepancy noted was Margarets success in multiple choice mathquestions, but her difficulty in the math extended response. This may indicatethat while she exceeds in writing in English, she may have troublecommunicating mathematical processes.

Overall conclusions regarding Margarets progress indicate that she hasclear strengths in the math and science realms and should continue oncommunicating this knowledge through the written word. Regarding English andSocial Studies, Margarets teachers should work to implement better readingcomprehension strategies so she is able to keep up with the class and gleaninformation efficiently. Teachers should play upon her writing skills in theseclasses and use them as an advantage to boost reading skills. One anotherconcept to be noted is that Margarets participation and effort fluctuate dependingupon the class she is in. Indeed, for Social Studies and English, (the two subjectsin which she struggles the most) her motivation and effort were clearly lower thanmath and science. Therefore, teachers need to implement instructional strategiesto boost confidence and ultimately, boost scores.

epsy 485 final exam

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